Seeing that the Arcadia Store had listed loquat paste, everyone rushed to place their orders.

Backed by the Arcadia brand’s reputation, many regular customers bought ten or twenty jars at a time. In no time, the 300 jars of loquat paste that Melody Summers had put up were completely sold out.

With 45 million in the bank, she calculated that they could buy a good amount of gasoline and diesel. Melody Summers and Albus rolled up their sleeves, ready to pack and ship the orders.

*

Elaine Hughes was up at six o’clock this morning.

She filled a bucket with water, preparing to wipe down every room in the villa from top to bottom before cleaning up the volcanic ash that had piled up in the yard.

There was a simple reason for all this: Simon Lancaster was bringing Holly Rhodes over for a meal today.

Elaine Hughes was a little nervous about meeting her prospective daughter-in-law for the first time.

She worked nonstop from six to eight in the morning, leaving her breathless, but she still wasn’t finished cleaning.

’This villa is just too big,’ Elaine Hughes thought, wiping sweat from her brow. ’If only we could sell it and move into a normal house.’

At eight o’clock, a freshly awakened Silas Lancaster came downstairs, rubbing his eyes. Seeing Elaine Hughes on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor, he frowned and asked, "Mom, what are you so busy with this early in the morning? Where’s my breakfast? I’m hungry!"

Seeing her younger son was awake, Elaine Hughes glanced at the time and hurried to the kitchen to cook him a bowl of noodles.

Elaine Hughes brought the noodles out to Silas Lancaster, urging him, "Eat up. As soon as you’re done, go back to your room. Your older brother is bringing your sister-in-law home for lunch, so you’re to stay in your room and not come out! Do you hear me?"

Because of the trouble Silas Lancaster had caused before, Holly Rhodes had always held a grudge against him. Simon Lancaster had specifically instructed that Holly was not to see Silas today, to avoid upsetting her.

Silas Lancaster looked at the bowl of plain, watery noodle soup with disdain. It contained shredded carrots and onions, both of which he hated, but he knew there were no other options right now. He could only frown and accept the bowl.

Hearing what Elaine Hughes said, Silas Lancaster retorted angrily, "Mom, she’s the one marrying into our family. It’s one thing for her not to think about how to curry favor with me, her brother-in-law, but she has the nerve to look down on me?! Mom, I don’t want a sister-in-law like that!"

Elaine Hughes sighed inwardly at his words. If this were before the cataclysm, back when they were still the wealthy Lancaster Family, would she ever have approved of a daughter-in-law like Holly Rhodes?

But look at the situation now. The whole Lancaster family was completely broke, relying entirely on Simon Lancaster’s salary and employee benefits to get by.

Now that Simon Lancaster had been demoted, his salary and benefits had worsened. Elaine Hughes was genuinely afraid that this daughter-in-law, Holly Rhodes, would run off.

Elaine Hughes could only say to Silas Lancaster, "You child! Isn’t this all your fault? If you hadn’t been so impulsive and pulled a knife on someone, why would your brother have been demoted? It’s only right that your sister-in-law resents you!"

Silas Lancaster felt incredibly wronged upon hearing this.

Before they left that day, he had said he didn’t want to go. His parents had forced him.

And when he’d tried to teach Melody Summers a lesson, it was to stand up for his parents. Now his own mother was blaming him for everything.

Seeing her beloved younger son’s aggrieved expression, Elaine Hughes softened her tone and comforted him, "Alright, son. Once your sister-in-law officially marries into the family, won’t she have to look after you, her little brother? She’s not family yet, so just bear with it for now. Stay in your room for the day. Be good."

Silas Lancaster could only nod helplessly. He quickly finished the noodle soup, placed the bowl on the table, and turned to go back to his room.

Seeing Silas Lancaster cooperate, Elaine Hughes breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing it was getting late, she prepared breakfast for Robert Lancaster, brought it to the small sitting room outside his bedroom, and then went back downstairs to continue cleaning the villa.

By ten o’clock, Elaine Hughes had finally finished clearing the volcanic ash from the yard. She quickly washed up and prepared to make lunch.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Sylvia Lancaster was back.

Sylvia Lancaster was wearing an off-white dress with a cardigan draped over her arm. "Mom, I’m home," she said to Elaine Hughes.

Today was Holly Rhodes’s first time visiting for a meal. She had mentioned that she wanted to meet Simon Lancaster’s family, especially his sister, Sylvia Lancaster. That’s why Elaine Hughes had called Sylvia yesterday and asked her to come back to the Lancaster home for lunch.

Elaine Hughes glanced at Sylvia Lancaster. She had originally wanted Sylvia to help her with lunch, but Sylvia looked pale and haggard. Despite being pregnant, her figure was still very thin.

Seeing this, Elaine Hughes didn’t have the heart to make Sylvia work in the kitchen. She sighed, told Sylvia to go rest, and went to get things ready herself.

Sylvia Lancaster walked into the living room and sank exhaustedly onto the sofa. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took deep breaths, trying to ease the discomfort in her abdomen.

For the past two months, Sylvia Lancaster had been living a nightmare at the Sutton residence.

Ever since the news came that Elias Sutton had died in a plane crash with no remains found, Mrs. and Mr. Sutton had been acting like they’d lost their minds.

They refused to see any relatives who came to offer condolences. Instead, they invited over a charlatan, claiming this man was a famous master who had successfully predicted the volcanic eruption that followed the period of high heat and drought.

The charlatan also claimed he could transfer a dead soul into a new body...

’Hearing this, I just want to call the police and have this quack thrown in a mental hospital!’ Sylvia Lancaster thought.

But then the unbelievable happened—Mr. and Mrs. Sutton actually believed the charlatan’s words!

They had the charlatan perform a ritual to reincarnate their deceased younger son, Elias Sutton, into the baby in Sylvia Lancaster’s womb!

Sylvia Lancaster found it absolutely incredible!

’It’s 2026, not 1826! Even a toothless old woman from the countryside wouldn’t fall for a scam like this! Mr. and Mrs. Sutton are highly educated intellectuals who once managed the massive Sutton Group, yet they’re buying this nonsense!’

But Mr. and Mrs. Sutton were completely obsessed. Mrs. Sutton, in particular, performed rituals around Sylvia Lancaster every single day.

Ethan Sutton couldn’t dissuade his parents and found the atmosphere at home terrifyingly bizarre. He used the excuse of looking for a job to stay away from home, leaving Sylvia Lancaster to be tormented by them alone.

After being subjected to this for some time, Sylvia Lancaster had recently been feeling a dragging pain in her abdomen. Yesterday, she’d even found streaks of blood on her underwear. She had a dreadful feeling that she was showing signs of a miscarriage...

When Elaine Hughes happened to call, she quickly used it as an excuse to visit, escaping back to her family home with the intention of hiding out for a few days.

Without Sylvia’s help, Elaine Hughes could only busy herself in the kitchen alone. Just as she was placing the last dish on the dining table, Simon Lancaster returned with Holly Rhodes.

*

Holly Rhodes stood before the Lancaster villa, secretly sizing it up. To own such a large villa in this prime, exorbitantly priced location was a testament to the Lancaster Family’s former glory and wealth.

’No wonder they say a starved camel is still bigger than a horse,’ she mused internally. ’Even though the Lancaster Family is broke, if they sold this villa, they probably wouldn’t have to worry about food or drink in this post-apocalyptic world.’

The two of them entered the villa. The yard was desolate and dilapidated. The stone path, once kept spotless by a maid, was now covered in volcanic ash that hadn’t been fully cleared away, crunching under their feet.

Simon Lancaster discreetly watched Holly Rhodes’s expression. He only relaxed when he saw no obvious signs of disgust.

Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes were already waiting at the main entrance.

Seeing Simon and Holly enter, Elaine Hughes affectionately took Holly’s hand and greeted her, "You must be Holly! Come in, come in. We’ve been looking forward to your visit."

Holly Rhodes subtly pulled her hand free from Elaine Hughes’s grasp. She gave her a reserved smile and replied politely, "It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for having me. I’m Holly Rhodes."

Elaine Hughes rubbed her hands together awkwardly. Robert Lancaster, however, smiled and said, "Good, a good child. Come, come inside!"

Holly Rhodes was pleased by the eager attentiveness of Simon’s parents. What girl wouldn’t want to be valued and doted on by her in-laws? An unconscious hint of a smile touched Holly’s eyes.

The group walked into the living room, and Holly Rhodes’s eyes immediately fell on a woman in a white dress sitting on the brown sofa. Her face was somewhat haggard, and she was stroking her abdomen.

Although her belly was swollen, her figure wasn’t bloated at all. She looked like a classic, delicate beauty in distress.

As expected, this had to be Simon Lancaster’s sister, Sylvia Lancaster.

The hint of a smile in Holly Rhodes’s eyes vanished instantly.